


two-breath walking

by orphan_account



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, I'm so sorry, M/M, Secret Santa, but i hope you liked it, which is really more of a new year's gift at this point
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-01
Updated: 2014-01-01
Packaged: 2018-01-07 00:34:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1113381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"because i'm all lonely by myself / i'll breathe with you"</p><p>--</p><p>in which eren makes levi promise him something, and ten lifetimes later, levi comes to fulfill his promise.</p><p>alternatively, ten lifetimes where eren and levi meet (or not). mostly, eren remembers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	two-breath walking

**Author's Note:**

> For [ailesdelaliberte](http://ailesdelaliberte.tumblr.com)/[sugarelixir](http://sugarelixir.tumblr.com), who was my Secret Santa recipient for the SNK Roleplayers Secret Santa. Happy Holidays; I'm sorry this is so late. But better late than nothing, I suppose... At least, that was the mindset I had writing this.
> 
> I hope you didn't mind my supreme lateness.
> 
> title and quotation in summary belongs not to me, but to a vocaloid song of the same title.
> 
> warning for not-quite incest.

0.

As the last of the Titans have been felled, and Humanity celebrated their long-awaited victory, tasting freedom and breathing in the air of victory, of finally being able to feel the benefits of liberty, Captain Levi stands at the execution grounds with one nineteen year old, the latter's form bowed, kneeling on the ground, dressed in nothing but white as he bowed his head in submission.

"Last words, Eren Jaeger?" Levi gritted, teeth grinding. 

Eren looked up, stared at Levi with clouded jade eyes, a small smile playing on those lips and  _why, why are you smiling, this is nothing to be smiling about--_

 _"_ Promise me one more thing, Captain. Find me again, no matter how long it takes."

At that time, Levi didn't understand, didn't comprehend what Eren meant, but nodded anyway as he brought down the blade towards the neck of the last Titan Shifter.

(He pretends not to see Eren's mouthed, true last words.) 

 

 

_~~i l o v e y o u~~ _

\--

**i.**

The first time, it's unfamiliar, and the recollection of his past life sent him reeling, the realization that he'd once loved and lost causing him to sit there in confusion, on his own bed, disbelieving. Where is he now? Where is Captain Levi now?

He heard his mom calling him downstairs for breakfast, and for a moment he's grateful that Carla isn't actually dead, that it only happened before.

"Eren, we have a new neighbor. Welcome them after breakfast, okay? Go take this basket of fruits for them."

When the door swung open to reveal their "new neighbor", he is astonished to find a little girl who couldn't have been older than five, standing behind the door after it opened, steel-colored orbs staring straight at him, raven-colored hair tied in twin pigtails and immediately something in him  _knew._

"What?" She glared at him at about the same time her mother called out "Leila Rivaille, don't be rude!"

_Not this time, huh._

**ii.**

The next time around it's a little better, as he finds out that Levi is a student just a different department from his; while Eren took Engineering as a major in university, Levi majored in Law. This time, they aren't even fifteen years apart or anything like that; they were even of the same age, and they don't have to hide behind barracks to savor what little kisses they could manage. They're free, this time; truly free.

It felt great to be in a world where Titans and walls no longer exist.

At least, that's what Eren thought the first time, until he saw Levi smiling and laughing with another girl in a way he never did with Eren, clearly comfortable in the arms of his lover.

He felt the confession bubbling on the tip of his tongue die down, shrivel, and filed it away into the deepest corners of his heart.

When they next meet again, and Levi asked him what's wrong, because "you look stupidly down, brat", he couldn't say anything.

**iii.**

He thought monarchies are a thing long gone, but apparently not, Eren thought to himself, as he found himself waiting on the King hand and foot. Truthfully, he disapproved of his King; it horrified him to see someone he used to know as kind, caring and loving despite being rough on the edges be absolutely sweet and charming outside, but ruled the kingdom with an iron fist, with absurd taxes and rules (and horrid penalties for the rule breakers) so only he could live in luxury. But Eren was no more than a servant; he had no choice but to watch as Levi thrived on corruption-- as the person he so loved destroy himself slowly.

 _One day, your pride will be your downfall,_ Eren muses as he watched Levi laugh on the throne, _but even so I'll be with you._

(The citizens did finally grow sick of Levi and staged a coup d'etat. When everyone else fled, Eren was the only one who stood by Levi, much to the latter's astonishment.

"Why?" the fallen king had questioned him then.

"Because I--"

He never got to finish that sentence; a rebel got to him first.)

**iv.**

He's dying.

Eren exhaled shakily, shivering in the cold, because he's given up on salvation long ago; no one would want to pick up a dog, so ratty and dingy. 

Staggering out of the alley, collapsing onto the snow, the last thing he saw before he passed out was a boy approaching him, gray optics coming into his field of sight.

 _There you are._ He managed a soft bark, before his head lolled softly to the side, eyes closing as he exhales a final time.

**v.**

He was about two years old when Carla came into the living room, a steaming mug tea in her gentle hands as she smiled and stared at her son.

"Did you hear about the French family across the street?" she murmured, moving to sit at the sofa next to her husband. "They were going to have a baby son, but there was a miscarriage, I feel sorry for them...Eren? Eren, dear, why are you crying? Eren!?"

Carla never understood why her son was inconsolable.

**vi.**

When his past life haunted him in the form of never-ending dreams, he's found a new way to express them. He took an empty, blank canvas, and painted.

He painted giant man-eating monsters that he saw in his dreams, strangers who are familiar to him and swathed in green, drew forests with big-ass trees.

Sometimes he sketched himself as one of those monsters; but those were never complete, becoming nothing more than sketches.

But most often, he painted (and dreamed of) a man who fought for freedom, a man who he, somehow, has named Corporal. Most of his works were of this "Corporal" that he saw in his dreams, and somewhere along the way, he fell in love with his own painting.

He must be crazy, to fall in love with one's own painting-- but with each passing day desperation only grew, his yearning to meet this man growing unbearable as slowly, he began to draw his Corporal and his Corporal only.

 _Where are you?_ he heard his heart cry out every time he attacked the canvas with increasing ferocity,  _where are you?_

**vii.**

His friend Armin told him it's something that he should really grow up from, because "Really? Crushing on a female idol star, Eren?" 

To which Eren only laughed at him, glancing at the poster and saying that they should change the topic now

The poster of a slightly cute-grumpy girl with gray colored eyes stared back at Eren.

**viii.**

He's not sure if he should be happy or sad this time.

"Eren." he heard Levi call out. "Mom said, that people get married when they want to be together forever." The seven-year-old boy grabbed onto Eren's hand, slipping a plastic ring he'd somehow procured from somewhere. "So we should get married. I want to be with you forever."

Eren could only offer a smile and a "Me, too", as he felt his heart drop to the floor.

He regretted the fact that his own twin brother is his long-lost lover.

Worse still, Levi probably didn't mean that small confession.

_When will you ever remember?_

**ix.**

It's been seventy years.

Eren's completely given up, this time. Briefly, he recalled the motto of when he was still fifteen and a soldier going to war: "fight until the very end, for freedom."

But what's there left to fight now? Titans are a thing of a lifetime so far away. And he's been searching for years upon years with no luck.

As he turned over to close his eyes for the final time, alone in his hospital bed, he failed to notice the black cat with unusually dark eyes perched on his window, its orbs staring intently at Eren.

**x.**

Eren is happy enough, this time.

He's learned to expect less, to hope less; to wish less, because the past times it only brought nothing more than hurt.

If his Corporal saw him now, would he be proud? He always called Eren out on being impatient, of always acting on impulse.

Absently, he walked down the school hallway, humming to himself as he felt more at ease with himself now. No matter how many more lifetimes it took, he can't hope too much; although he'll never stop. He'd never stop trying to find him.

"I'll find you, no matter how long it takes." He murmured to no-one in particular. "I'll wait until you fulfill that last promise to me."

He felt a tap on his shoulder, and he turned around in surprise to see a student he's never seen before-- must be a third-year, two years his senior-- but wait, those eyes, it can't be...?

"Oi. I'm sorry I took so long, brat."

Eren's smile threatened to split his face apart.

"Ten lifetimes, Captain Levi. I missed you."

**Author's Note:**

> kudos and a little comment (maybe) if you liked it? c:


End file.
